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🇮🇳 Trending in India · 1 November 2026

What is the World Test Championship? Why the table is shaking up

On 31 October 2026, South Africa beat Australia by 176 runs in Cape Town to win the series 2-1, moving into second place in the World Test Championship table and pushing India to fourth. Cricket searches involving India rose at the same time.
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What is the World Test Championship?

The ICC World Test Championship is a competition only for Test cricket, the longest form of the game, and the International Cricket Council organises it. It runs in cycles of about two years. The current fourth edition runs from June 2025 to June 2027, and nine Test-playing nations take part, including India, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh and the West Indies.

How teams earn points

Matches are played as bilateral Test series, and the league has 27 series and 71 matches in all. A win gives a team 12 points, a tie gives 6 points each, and a draw gives 4 points each. A loss gives no points. Because teams play different numbers of matches, the table ranks them by the percentage of available points they have won, not by the total.

How the final is decided

The top two teams in the percentage table at the end of the league stage reach the final. The final is a single Test, and the 2027 final is scheduled for Lord's in London. The first WTC final, in 2021, was played between India and New Zealand at Southampton, and South Africa won the 2023-25 title by beating Australia at Lord's in 2025.

Why the table changed on 31 October 2026

South Africa beat Australia by 176 runs in the third Test at Newlands, Cape Town, to win the three-match series 2-1. That result took South Africa to second place and Australia to third, while New Zealand moved to the top with 72.22 per cent. India stayed fourth on 51.52 per cent, and they still have a chance to improve when they play New Zealand in a two-match series in November and December.

Quick points

  1. A two-year Test cricket league

    The ICC World Test Championship is a league for Test cricket. The current cycle runs from June 2025 to June 2027.

  2. 12 points for a win

    A win gives 12 points, a tie gives 6 each, and a draw gives 4 each. A loss gives nothing.

  3. Ranked by percentage

    Teams play different numbers of matches, so the table uses the percentage of points won rather than the total.

  4. Top two reach the final

    The top two teams in the table play the final, which is scheduled for Lord's in June 2027.

  5. Table shaken on 31 October

    South Africa's 176-run win over Australia moved South Africa to second and India remained fourth at 51.52 per cent.

Quick quiz

1. How many points does a team get for a win in the World Test Championship 2025-27?

2. How are teams ranked in the WTC points table?

3. Where is the 2027 WTC final scheduled to be played?

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